From Vulnerability to Dignity: The RN Declaration of Self-Esteem

Registered nurses (RNs) experience vulnerability from a variety of sources in today's healthcare organizations. While RN vulnerability can be associated with positive outcomes with patients and clients, vulnerability can also be dangerous to RNs as they struggle with outside forces that many feel they have no control over.

The study aims to maintain and enhance the dignity of RNs and provide a beacon to RNs who may have become wounded in the healthcare setting and/or their own profession.

The study was conducted in a conference entitled "Advancing Nursing Practice Through Change, Innovation and Creativity" held at a midsized university in western Canada.

The participants were 115 administrators, members of RN regulatory bodies, nursing faculty, nurse educators, and staff nurses.

An activity entitled "Wild Thinking" gave participants an opportunity to reflect upon the conference and their personal experiences of change, innovation, and creativity they wished to see within the workplace. All responses were collected at the end of the activity, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed for themes.

Arising from 16 themes, the RN Declaration of Self-Esteem was created.

The RN Declaration of Self-Esteem may be helpful in promoting empowerment at the individual RN level as well as in the collective professional level. Janzen Mitchell Renton Currie Nordstrom.